iPad 2018 and Entry Level Macbook Can Arrive On March, 27

iPad 2018 and Entry Level Macbook Can Arrive On March, 27

The first Apple event of 2018 takes place at the Lane Tech College Prep High School, Chicago on Tuesday, March 27. It’s primary focus is “creative new ideas for teachers and students” as the invites sent out to members of the media put it.

The high school in question is one of the educational institutes that take part in the Everyone Can Code program that embraces about half million Chicago students. They are learning to build apps with Apple’s Swift programming language and it’s a good start in life for those who feel like choosing an IT career.

With this event being the first education-centric one since 2012, rumor mills are working hard predicting a whole batch of low-end products from Apple. The list includes an iPad, a MacBook Air and an iPhone SE 2.

Low End iPad

The year 2017 saw a fifth-generation 9.7-inch iPad that was priced at $329. This low-end alternative to the iPad Pro proved to be very popular. No wonder, the idea of the iPad 2018 looks so enticing. It would be a boon for schools and college, especially if Apple gives a prolonged warranty for them. The price could be as low as $259. The specs haven’t leaked though, so we have to wait till the event and see.

The New iPad (2018)

Low End MacBook or MacBook Air

The idea of a cheap affordable MacBook sounds even more fantastic. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo was the first to articulate it. His previous insights into the Cupertino’s plans give him all the rights to predict that we can hope for a “more affordable MacBook Air.” And yet, it’s still unknown if Apple drops the price for the now obsolete MacBook Air or if it rolls out a cut-down ‘educational’ model.

Some list a Retina display among other upgrades, but we have to be realistic. Any significant upgrade and a price drop just don’t get along well. Taking into account the recently discovered vulnerabilities in Intel CPUs, Apple should upgrade up to the seventh generation of the processors. And if the company wants to keep the price low enough for students to afford it, it has to cut down other hardware: the RAM or the storage, but likely both. There’s just no place for any Retina here.

Bloomberg among other reviewers hints at the completely new product that is going to obliterate both the MacBook Air and the 12-inch MacBook line. But it’s too an important decision to announce during the educational event.

The lower-cost MacBook Air is rumored to be priced at $799 to $899 for individual purchasers and even less for schools and colleges.

iPhone SE 2

Ming-Chi Kuo’s opinion about iPhone SE 2 is definite: Apple just hasn’t got enough resources to roll out the fourth smartphone this year. With the three new models planned for September, the company has enough to do on it’s plate. The video from the Chinese social media is likely a fake, featuring the fake iPhone copy. The supply chains grapevine hasn’t yet come up with any specs of the iPhone SE 2, so we shouldn’t have our hopes high for it either. The cheap iPhone with a couple of features from iPhone 7 or 8 would go fine with the cheap iPad and MacBook, but no, it won’t happen this March.

iOS 11.3 Release With ClassKit Framework

iOS 11.3 is in it’s betas and we have seen six of them so far. Apple promised to roll out the new version of iOS this spring, but no one said it should take place on March, 27.

Still, we can hope for a coverage of the iOS 11.3 on the event because this version includes a new Classroom 2.2 app and a ClassKit framework.

The app turns the iPad into a teaching assistant a teacher can use in class to deliver tasks to students and to track their progress. The framework helps to make teaching apps and enhances the education tools.

The event in the Chicago High School is the right place to shed some light onto these software. Among other features we all look forward to are a Battery Health feature, iCloud Messages, ARKit 1.5 and new Animoji

From the look of it, Apple doesn’t pay much attention to the event. It doesn’t even plan to live stream the event, though the video will be available on the Apple TV afterwards. Nevertheless, some sites, dedicated to Apple products, plan to fully cover the event and give a detailed info on each announcement.